Draw your own conclusions. The ever-powerful Centennial added five-time state champion Valor Christian and dropped Smoky Hill (the Buffaloes haven’t had a winning record in two dozen years). The Jeffco League has reunited all the top county schools, along with Mullen.

Furthermore, Western Slope schools Fruita Monument and Grand Junction are in Denver-area leagues. So are Colorado Springs teams. Denver East and Montbello have been placed with north-metro schools. And longtime big-schooler Fort Collins has shrunk to 4A.

Many of the moves have raised questions.

But don’t take my word for it. In gathering preview information earlier this month, I polled as many appropriate 5A head coaches as possible, an attempt to pick their brains and gather their thoughts.

Here’s some of what they said:

Mike Schmitt, Eaglecrest: “It’s difficult to play through the type of league we play through when other teams are getting 40-point wins and get into playoffs, then we get seeded pretty low.”

Seth Replogle, Overland: “Our league is insane. The biggest thing to me is, I don’t mind playing those guys, the (Cherry) Creek schools are all together, and throwing Valor in there, well, it had to go somewhere. Now, it’s the challenge in front of us. The biggest thing will be how we get into the playoffs.”

Monte Thelen, Cherokee Trail: “Just look at who’s in what league. Just run down the list. Run down Jeffco and run down the Centennial. I don’t think you find a weak sister. Compare that to other people’s leagues and schedules.”

Ryan Hollingshead, Castle View: “I like what they did to help out the Western Slope schools, but I think it’s good to keep competitive league play. I don’t know why we have leagues and don’t reward them. … I think it’s OK. We’re never going to get it perfect. There will always be somebody to be unhappy.”

John Schultz, Grandview: “Are we in the SEC South or what? (The Wolves are in the Centennial.) I put in my letter in our program that every team in our league was in the final 16 or better, and five of the six in the final eight or better. It’s pretty impressive.”

Mark Robinson, Highlands Ranch: “I don’t like it. I think those leagues (the Centennial and Jeffco) should be split up a bit.”

Dave Gonzales, Rangeview: “Well, it definitely will be interesting. From what I understand, the top 32 still make playoffs, then there’s some leeway as far as how they seed it. It sounds like it will be more balanced. We’ll see how it shakes out.”

Andy Lowry, Columbine: “I know we had some proposals brought on board as far as teams making playoffs. We’re in such a tough league (Jeffco). Some probably could battle for other league championships and not win a game in our league. It’s going to be tough. Most of the wins are between the (Centennial and Jeffco) leagues. … The waterfall is the only equitable way of doing it. It makes for balanced leagues. I hope we get something going. For every time we have a proposal, it ends up being defeated, then two years later it gets passed.”

Robbie Owens, Grand Junction: “I think, overall, I like where we’re at (the new South Metro). I got into a good conference, but I hate the 5A-4A combo conference (Tigers were in the 5A-4A Southwestern), so I didn’t care where they put us. I wanted to be in a Denver conference. We’re traveling the same distance. For us to travel now is no different. I’m just excited to be in a 5A conference. But there’s probably a better system to spread out the teams.”

Robert Doyle, Legend: “For us, it’s great. I feel like we got into a good conference (Continental South). I feel good where we’re at. If you’re in the Valor league, you’re (angry). Other than that, it’s very good. It should help with the playoff positioning. It’s a little more consistent, I would say.”

Rod Sherman, Valor Christian: “I think our conference is the SEC of Colorado. I think what the football committee did was make a pretty strong conference and we’re excited about that, with the tremendous venues, the tremendous coaches. … I really think it’s a unique year. It should be an enjoyable year to watch and cover.”

Mark Brook, Rocky Mountain: “Obviously, with adding Monarch, Fairview and Legacy (to a new Front Range) we’ll be a good conference. It’s interesting, and we’ll see how it all breaks down. We’ll have a lot better idea once the playoffs roll around, but I hope it works out well.”

Mike Marquez, Thornton: “It doesn’t impact us too much. I’m a straight shooter — we probably have one of the weaker, if not the weakest (Flatirons), in 5A. I’ve always felt that way with the demographics. But I want a competitive 10-game schedule with kids working hard to win, not just to be the next game for teams with championship aspirations. We live with it. What I didn’t like was making an eight-team conference and messing with some of the flexibility of the nonconference schedule.”

Phil Bravo, Monarch: “Here’s the difference in 5A: I make the bracket, the playoffs. The quad system guarantees a No. 2 in the opposite quadrant. For those powerful leagues (Centennial and Jeffco), they will get their representation. Their biggest complaint was playoff representation. Everybody stands in awe of those two leagues, and rightly so. They are pretty darned good football programs. But it is what it is.”

Gene Hill, Douglas County: “I loved the waterfall. I thought it was a pretty progressive idea. But you know how change here is a pretty slow process. (The waterfall) was a chance to build up new rivalries, and with bigger playoffs you end up playing different teams.”

Joe Johnson, ThunderRidge: “I think the Centennial will be just brutal and very likely a good football team may not make the playoffs. That would be too bad. We had some groups try to meet and get some things together. There are lot of things that go into making leagues beyond the game itself. You have administrators involved. But, to me, I think the most alarming thing to me is you have teams and leagues that clearly are avoiding competition in order to gain wild-card points, and I don’t think that’s right. I think it could be easily solved by (the Colorado High School Activities Association) by making them play people from two separate leagues. You just cant make a back door agreement before the CHSAA decides who you’re going to play. And that is happening.”

Pat Sandoval, Brighton: “I agree. I mean, to mix things up, I don’t know if it’s politics. … I tried three to four years ago to balance it up. Nobody wants it. I don’t care for it (the current outlay). The two elite leagues will definitely be busting each other up.”

Rod Dobbs, Chaparral: “I really don’t get all wrapped into that. I know we play Grandview, then Bear Creek. … You just have to prepare for whoever and everybody.”

Marty McVicker, Poudre: “I don’t know what to think. One thing that worries me is because of the quadrants, you could end up as a fifth seed and get switched because maybe you’re matched up with your conference and you’re bumped to an 8. I’m a little leery of that. Teams won’t want to play each other again, but I’m worried about getting respect.”

Jeff Braun, Lakewood: “I guess my thing about that, if you come out of the Centennial or our (Jeffco) league, you could be 5-4, but not have as many points as teams in other leagues that are 7-2 or 6-3. And you don’t have to take the pounding. You don’t have to line up against Cherry Creek, Grandview, Valor, Pomona, Columbine and Ralston Valley. These two leagues are unbelievable. These are two SEC leagues.”

Dave Logan, Cherry Creek: “I would just say that I think it’s laughable.”

Mark Nolan, Regis Jesuit: “I don’t really get caught up in the highs or lows of that stuff. The way realignment works is, it’s like the weather — if you don’t like it, wait 10 minutes, or in this case, wait two years and it changes. But it’s weird that conferences are different from fall sports to winter to spring, and some schools are 4A in one sport, then 5A in another.”

Bret McGatlin, Chatfield: “When (the waterfall) originally came out, we were looking for a balance of paper only because (Jeffco teams) would beat each other up. No reward for us being one league, not like in Division I. A team can win another league, but probably be a fifth- or sixth-place team that could win it, but it is what it is. I don’t want to whine and complain because if we can make it through, we’ll be sitting good.”

Jay Madden, Pomona: “It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s the way the world’s going.”

Tom Thenell, Mullen: “It’s just kind of ironic. … It’s like from the old movie where every time they call it a business, we call it a game and or they call it a business. … That’s kind of the game we’re playing. It’s just hypocrisy, and it has been going on forever.”

Wayne Voorhees, Legacy: “I think it’s pretty accurate. It’s good to play schools where kids grew up playing each other. We’re playing Horizon and Mountain Range again. But there are two conferences that are pretty brutal and will get beat up, so we’ll see what that does leading to the playoffs.”

Tom McCartney, Fairview: “It’s definitely interesting for both of those leagues. There are great rivalries in there, great proximity to where those schools are, so will make for great football week in, week out. Because of playoff format, they still will have great playoff representation. Those leagues will be really, really good. We already know of some of those teams that don’t have the best records and how good they are.”

Zach Morris, Bear Creek: “It’ s a dicey situation a little bit. It’s tough, we’re in a tough league with no days off. But we’re going to go against a tough team every single week. I was intrigued by the waterfall as well. That was kind of the route coaches wanted. It would have more competitive balance. But we’re excited to play against the best teams in the state.”

Ric Cash, Mountain Vista: “I think until we’re ready to try something a little more unique, we’re going to end up with more of same. We’re going to still feel the same at the end of the season. The haves, the have-nots, teams getting over-seeded. … We may have a team that’s 4-6 but could have won a league title. I don’t know how we make it better without doing something radically different. I like our league, but it won’t necessarily clean out the disparity.”

Frank Ybarra, Horizon: “I don’t mind the 32-team bracket, but here’s my problem: When they start doing the seeding, we feel like those two leagues (Centennial and Jeffco) have most of the influence. We feel like our league won’t get the respect when it time for seeding. Me personally, if those two are the best, we’re the third best. I just hope it’s pretty unbiased at the end of the season. Our league champ could be a five or six seed and get bumped to an eight. That’s kind of our concern.”

Spencer Colter, Denver East: “You know, I’d just say it is what it is. I don’t get too much into it. I see what you see. But what can you do about it? I don’t like it. I think there are better ways to do it, spread it out and have more parity.”

Todd Riccio, Prairie View: “Well, they have to put Valor somewhere, I guess. I know there were big debates just about what they’ve accomplished. That Centennial League is the league of death, the group of death. It’s a big powerhouse. All those teams will be well-tested and played out. And Jeffco has power. It will be a battle for the rest of us. And that’s all we can do, go and compete.”

Bob Simmons, Boulder: “You know what? All those teams (in Centennial and Jeffco) are good teams. I think that’s what they did with the alignment, they tried do it with size and numbers and make power conferences. Over the years, look at the pedigree of schools like Mullen and Valor. Here in Boulder, we’ve gotten small in numbers. We’ve got to build it back up.”

Jeff Krumlauf, Doherty: “I mean, I think all of the realignments are really good. I think the conferences are very tough. The joke is, whatever conference Valor is in is an SEC in our 5A, but we look at the Continental North and were in the Continental South, and we think our leagues are just as strong. We honored to be a part of it.”

Brian Lamb, Rock Canyon: “I like it for us being local with the rest of the Highlands Ranch schools. I’m glad not to see Valor anymore. Even with Fruita and Grand Junction, it doesn’t bother me going out there. I kind of like where we’re positioned.”

Sean Mulvey, Fruita Monument: “Well, the waterfall thing is good and does what it’s intended to, but look at those two conferences: a murderers’ row. I’d hate to be at the bottom of those groups. I feel like we have one of the top conferences as well, just having ThunderRidge and Regis. But there are some good teams and we’re excited about competing with them.”

Matt Dean, Northglenn: “I don’t mind it. I think you can go on both sides of the fence and have an argument. For transportation, schools are having to allocate a little harder for the lower-income districts. Having the talent pool as far as record-wise (with the waterfall) would have been good. But I think I like how it ended up. We’ll take what we get, and won’t throw a fit, and play football. More than the waterfall, they should look at how some schools get away with some things.”

Matt Loyd, Ralston Valley: “Obviously, that Centennial, I believe, is tough. We’re in a tough one, but not as tough as that one. You know what? If that’s the way people want to do it, OK. There are some leagues not as strong, but it is what it is. For me, I like playing tough teams and a hard schedule.”

Mike Campbell, Arapahoe: “I think it helped us. I’m not against what we did, but I’m not super-excited, just ambivalent. That Centennial is ridiculous, so is the Jeffco, so much better than everybody else.”

Kerry Denison, Westminster: “Maybe we could make a 6A. Every other division has 10 weeks for regular season. We have that playoff round and it doesn’t draw any more people. It ends up costing a lot more. I’d like to see us go back to the 10th week. And, you know, if it’s done that way, put those powerhouses in 6A.”

Robbie O’Brien, Hinkley: “I tell my kids that all we can do is control what we can control. I don’t put too much on who we play or who somebody else plays.”

Bryan Davey Mountain Range: “In one aspect, I like it because it puts a school district within a school district. I like that piece of it to boost the rivalries. When you play in a league like that, in a Centennial League, an Overland-type team could be four or five (seed), but lose to Grandview and Cherokee Trail, and have high-quality losses. I just hope with the additions and rules in the playoff bracket that they’ll do a better job of aligning playoff teams. I played Cherokee Trail in the second round (last year), but they had three Centennial teams in the same bracket I was in, and that’s not fair to them.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.